Crumbling red brick rubble outlines several of the remaining raised landscaping beds which surround the former restaurant. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – Nearly five months after the demolition of the former Marie Callender’s Restaurant and Bakery at 5525 Sunrise Blvd, construction of a new quick serve restaurant (QSR) which was previously approved by the city of Citrus Heights for the location has yet to begin.

Signage installed by the commercial real estate brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) of Sacramento, on behalf of the property owner, Patterson Properties, placed in front of the former restaurant, continues to describe and market the location as a “fully approved quick service restaurant (QSR) entitled site available for ground lease.”

“We (JLL) are in active discussions (on 5525 Sunrise Boulevard), but there is no material update, or insight to share with the public at this time,” said Torren Ragan, senior associate, retail for the brokerage.

An active Loopnet commercial listing describes the property as the “only entitled quick service restaurant (QSR) site that is ready to build in the Sunrise Marketplace corridor.”

At this time, the city of Citrus Heights Planning Department “has not received any applications for a specific user for that property,” said Marisa Brown, city communications officer.

Very little remains of the former restaurant, previously situated along the city’s restaurant row, between the recently opened Must Be Cow Korean BBQ and Hibachi Buffet along busy Sunrise Boulevard.

Signage installed by the commercial real estate brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) of Sacramento, on behalf of the property owner, Patterson Properties continues to describe and market the location as a “fully approved quick service restaurant (QSR) entitled site available for ground lease.” Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

Crumbling red brick rubble outlines several of the remaining raised landscaping beds which surround the former restaurant.

The unevenly cut, thick stumps of multiple young trees which once provided a generous canopy of lush foliage have left the concrete slab on which the restaurant once sat wide open to the blue morning sky.

On a recent Saturday morning, crews from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) worked on open utility enclosures in the parking lot.

In June 2025, the Citrus Heights Planning Commission members unanimously approved a design use permit to allow the construction of a new 5,000-square-foot quick serve, drive-thru restaurant which would feature two drive-thru service lanes on 1.55 acres at the southwest corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Pebble Beach Drive.

Owner James Patterson, president of Patterson Properties, Inc. in Roseville, had told the Citrus Heights Planning Commission that their unanimous decision could allow his investment and development firm to actively market the location to compatible users such as Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out Burger.

A representative for Patterson Properties did not respond to a specific request for comment regarding the progress of the firm’s marketing efforts or when project construction could begin.

Project drawings for the approved quick serve restaurant (QSR) show a double lane drive-thru condensing down to a single lane around the final turn facing Pebble Beach Drive before the pick-up window. A 50-foot sloping landscape green belt will also face Sunrise Boulevard.

Pebble Beach Drive separates the planned drive-thru restaurant from the Hibachi Buffet restaurant located next door.

The current site plan also calls for the addition of 58 regular parking spaces, three Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant parking spaces and 13 electric-vehicle-capable parking spaces.

Vehicular entrance points are from Birdcage Street, Pebble Beach Drive and through the parking lot which is shared by the now open Must Be Cow Korean BBQ restaurant, as well as the commercial office space which faces Birdcage Drive.